october 2017 southasiadisasters.net 1 · lessons for himalayan states of india kashmir is located...

southasiadisasters.netOctober 2017 1

southasiadisasters.net October 20172

INTRODUCTION

Disaster Recovery in Kashmir: FiveLessons for Himalayan States of India

Kashmir is located in Himalaya,an area which is well known for

its high vulnerability to intense andfrequent flood and earthquake. Long-term disaster recovery activities haveshown positive effects and progressin disaster risk reduction (DRR) of thestate. This has offered valuable lessonsfor DRR activities in anotherHimalayan states, and possibilityreplication of models in othercountries. This Southasiadisasters.netissue highlights these lessons learned.

High Altitude Recovery is not acommon term in Build Back Better(BBB). While most BBB literature isrelated to plain areas, limited researchis done on disasters in high altitudeareas. Due to its distinctivecharacteristics, Himalayan disasters, asP.D. Ray, Member of Parliaments,Sikkim often asserted, thus, needadditional attention and expertise.Kashmir recovery offers an exception.

To begin with, Needs Assessment inKashmir were challenged by thedisasters, weather, and ongoingconflicts. Due to these factors,modifications need to be done in theseassessment. Himalayan states canlearn from this experience to tailortheir assessment and programs designto their local contexts.

So, what are the lessons that Kashmirexperiences offer for reducing risks inthe Himalayan states of India? Hereare the five lessons.

First lesson is to mainstream (DRR)and Climate Change Adaptation(CCA) in Development Planning ofHimalayan states. Adequate inputsdata and specific programmeguidelines will help accelerate themainstreaming process.

Second lesson is to focus on urban riskreduction by reaching out to thecapital city and smaller towns inHimalayas. The institutional approach

should provide technical supports tostrengthen governance structure indistricts and towns in Himalayan states.

Third lesson is to invest moreresources from the government andother sources in providing technicalassistance and building capacity formulti-stakeholders in Himalayanstates. A shortcut and efficient awaymay be to develop a pool of experts,.Developing a pool of experts,strengthening the training institutions,and matching them can offer ashortcut and efficient solution.

Fourth lesson is direct investment inKnowledge Management, includingdeveloping a centre to hold ongoingresource studies, document experiences,sharing experiences, and to acceleratestate-to-state cooperation in Himalayas.

Fifth lesson is that more work can bedone to enhance resilience ofvulnerable communities to cope withdisasters and climate variabilities byimplementing pilot school safetyprojects. Schools are the first step tocommunity safety. Work of UNICEFin Bihar and AIDMI in Assam hasdemonstrated this link through theprogram of Comprehensive SchoolSafety and Security.

What is urgently needed is the fulland active support from theGovernment of Jammu and Kashmirin enhancing institutional andcommunity resilience. AIDMI's workin Kashmir over the past ten years hasshown that Kashmir is ready to takea leap closer to transform traditionalrisk reduction pathways.

The above lessons offer ways on howlong-term recovery in Kashmir can beapplicable to other Himalayans states.Moreover, this is not only useful toIndia and Nepal but also to othercountries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan,China, and Bhutan in South Asia.

– AIDMI Team

ABOUT THIS ISSUE

Disguised opportunity isthe inevitable

concomitant of any disaster.The unprecedented floodingexperienced by the NorthIndian state of Jammu andKashmir was one such eventwhere widespread destructiongave way to great opportunitiesfor recovery andreconstruction. After thepromulgation of the SendaiFramework and India's ownNational Disaster managementPlan (NDMP) there has been anonus on the "Build back Better"aspect of disaster recovery. Therecovery experience followingthe 2014 Kashmir floods offersmany lessons for such a longterm recovery.

This issue ofSouthasiadisasters.net is titled"Long Term Disaster Recoveryin Kashmir". It contains manyinsights from practitioners andacademics from different areaswho have focused theirattention on rebuilding Jammuand Kashmir after thedevastating floods of 2014.Often dubbed as the mostsevere flood to hit the state inover 100 years, the havocwreaked by these floodsaffected close to 550,000 people.The Indian state as well as theinternational community werequick to respond to the crisisthat followed this disaster.Devoting massive financial andhuman resources, many longterm recovery initiatives havebeen started in the state. Thisissue is a compilation of suchinitiatives that capture themany facets of Kashmir'scomplex long term recoveryprocess to "Build Back Better".

– Kshitij Gupta


PREPAREDNESS IN KASHMIR

How Kashmir is Implementing Disaster RiskReduction Projects

The State of Jammu and Kashmirhas witnessed a long history of

natural disasters ranging fromcatastrophic earthquakes todestructive floods, snow blizzards toavalanches, landslides to windstorms; all owing to its peculiartopography, rugged terrain, extremeweather conditions, and uniquegeographical and geo–climaticsettings.• In February 2005, Waltengu Nad

in Kulgam District of SouthKashmir was hit by a SnowBlizzard and 175 people losttheir lives.

• The State falls in seismic ZoneIV and V and on 8th October2005, an earthquake ofmagnitude 7.6, resulted inthousands of deaths andinjuries. More than 24,000houses were fully damaged.

• In the intervening night of 5thand 6th, August 2010 a suddenCloudburst occurred in LehDistrict, followed by flashfloods and mudslides. Thisunprecedented event resulted inthe death of 255 people,including international tourists,and caused damages worthLakhs of rupees. Leh is a cold

desert and the amount ofprecipitation that occurredduring the cloudburst wasequivalent to the total rainfallrecorded in the entire year.

• The State witnessed devastatingfloods in September 2014 killingalmost 300 people and damagingover 2,50,000 houses fully orseverely. The floods affectedalmost all the Districts of theState. More than 5,50,000 peoplewere displaced and had to beprovided temporary shelter.Colossal damage was recordedto the public serviceinfrastructure, includinghospitals, schools and offices.Residential houses and businessestablishments were severelydamaged as well. Historically,the Valley has experiencedmassive floods, back in 1841 and1893, but the damage due to2014 floods was colossal.

• Avalanches are a recurrentfeature, during winters.

• This is besides the share ofhuman induced disasters ourState has had to face in the past.

In the wake of recurring disasters,the State has always paid heavily in

terms of loss of life and property.Enhanced vulnerabilities of the builtenvironment make the State highlyprone to natural disasters.

However, the Relief and Recoveryactivities carried out in the affectedareas by the Civil Administration,Police, Security forces, Army, AirForce and NGOs has been laudable.

The courage, dedication and zeal ofthe local community revealed thathuman relations were at their peakduring the disasters.

The State of Jammu and Kashmirrecognizes that hazards areinevitable, but these need notnecessarily convert into disasters.

A pro-active, holistic,comprehensive and multifariousapproach is required, for disasterrisk reduction and management.

The State has thus, adopted the twinprinciple of minimizing humansuffering, during disasters andreduction of financial losses throughintegration of DRR activities intodevelopment planning.

Awareness on Psycho Social affects of Disasters.


In the aftermath of the devastatingfloods, the Government of Indiarequested assistance from the WorldBank and an emergency project wasstarted, the Project is named asJehlum and Tawi Flood RecoveryProject. The project focuses onrestoring critical infrastructure usinginternational best practices, onresilient infrastructure. Given theState's vulnerability to both floodsand earthquakes, the infrastructureis being designed with upgradedresilient features, and includescontingency planning for futuredisaster events. The project aims atboth restoring essential servicesdisrupted by the floods andimproving the design standard andpractices to increase resilience.

Jammu and Kashmir has a structuredinstitutional mechanism to deal withdisasters at the State level.• The State Disaster Management

Authority is headed byHonourable Chief Minister.

• The State Executive Committeeis headed by the ChiefSecretary.

• The State has the uniquedistinction of having a shiftingState Capital, between Srinagarand Jammu, every six monthsand therefore Jammu andKashmir is the only State in thecountry to have two uniqueDivisional Disaster ManagementAuthorities for Kashmir andJammu Divisions, which areheaded by the respectiveDivisional Commissioners.

• We also have 22 District DisasterManagement Authorities,headed by the DeputyCommissioners of the Districts,to manage the whole gamut ofdisasters.

Land has been identified at the Statelevel for establishment of StateEmergency Operation Centre, forensuring effective management ofdisasters. Till the time permanentEOCs are constructed, interim EOCshave been established at all 22District Headquarters.

The State Disaster ManagementPlan, the State Disaster ManagementPolicy and District DisasterManagement Plans have beenprepared, implemented anduploaded on the websitewww.jksda.org. These plans areregularly being updated andupgraded.

The State has established twodedicated Battalions of State DisasterResponse Force (SDRF). The processof upgrading SDRF with adequatemanpower, capacity building andequipment support has beeninitiated.

Besides this, the Fire and EmergencyServices is also being strengthenedand upgraded.

Community is amongst the firstresponders in any disaster situationsand therefore, the State has takeninnovative steps for strengtheningthe community and creatingawareness amongst general massesfor enhancing their capacity, so thatthey are better equipped to handleany exigencies.

300 volunteers per District (Total6600 in the State) have beenidentified by the respective DeputyCommissioners and are beingtraining in basic life skills, includingfire-fighting, first-aid, search andrescue. For ensuring proper trainingthe training capability of CivilDefence, SDRF, Red Cross andHealth Department are beingutilised. These volunteers have beendrawn from the community andcomprise of able-bodied youth. It hasbeen ensured that women areadequately represented. Thesevolunteers are being equipped withpersonal basic emergencyequipment's, so that are able to actas first responders in any emergency.

Training of students and teachers onSchool Safety Measures has beenaccorded top priority. Mock drillsare being held on a regular basis invarious educational institutions. The

Chief Education Officers have beennominated as Nodal Officers forimplementation of the School SafetyProgrammes at the District level.

State Government Officers andofficials including Revenue Officers,Tehsildars, Patwaris, SeniorAdministrators and Municipal WardCorporates are being impartedtraining. After the training, they areinvolved in preparation ofCommunity Level DisasterManagement Plans, includingVillage Disaster Management Plans.

In order to strengthen the DistrictDisaster Management Authorities,the Tehsildar Headquarters in theoffice of Deputy Commissionershave been re-designated as DistrictDisaster Management Officers andare actively involved in the DisasterManagement issues at District level.The first batch of pass-out studentsof MSc Disaster Management fromthe prestigious University ofKashmir have been engaged asDisaster Management Professionalsand deployed in the various DistrictDisaster Management Authorities.

Jammu and Kashmir is one of thefirst States in the country to haveestablished the State DisasterMitigation Fund, by allocating Rs1.00 Crore per district as DistrictDisaster Mitigation Fund.

Jammu and Kashmir has initiatedthe process for procurement of 100No's of Satellite phones from BSNL(Inmarsat) for establishing a fail-safecommunication network across theState.

Disasters cannot be prevented, butall necessary measures can be takento minimize damages due todisasters. A prepared community candeal with disasters in a bettermanner.

The State believes in the slogan"Help people, to help themselves.”

– Aamir Ali Mir, Srinagar,Jammu and Kashmir


QUALITY OF RECOVERY

Kashmir Recovery: A Habitat View

Housing is at the core of Habitatfor Humanity India's work.

Anchored by the conviction thathousing provides a criticalfoundation for breaking the cycle ofpoverty, Habitat for Humanity Indiabuilds homes and sanitationfacilities for economically weakersection (EWS) and low incomefamilies. The sustainabledevelopment goals (SDG) 6 — cleanwater and sanitation, and 11 —sustainable cities and communities,and 17 — partnerships for the goals;guide our work across 20 states inIndia wherein we partner with localorganizations and governments inexpanding our reach. The mainverticals of intervention includeaffordable housing, water andsanitation, volunteer program anddisaster risk reduction and response(DRRR).

Habitat for Humanity in Indiabegan its operations in Khammamin Andra Pradesh and then went onto responding effectively to the postdisaster situation of the Tsunami ofDecember 2004. Our disaster

response expands across India withoutreach ranging from immediaterelief, humanitarian aid kits, andtemporary shelter to reconstructionof houses with disaster resilienttechnology. Disaster insurance andcommunity based disaster riskreduction management (CBDRM)are also a part of our disasterportfolio. Habitat India responds todisasters initially through a JointRapid Needs Assessment (JRNA) andan analysis of the situation and goon to executing the immediate reliefresponse and the long termrebuilding of communities. Forassessment of damage to schools wesource information from theDirectorate of Schools / EducationalDepartment. Housing, water andsanitation and health and protectionform the core focus of our response.

The state of Jammu and Kashmirreceived torrential rainfall on 2nd

September, 2014 causing devastationto more than 10 m people in theadjoining areas while more than 1m people were directly affected. Asthe rains continued, on 6th

September, 2014, Jhelum River

flooded into the streets causinghavoc, heavy causalities and loss ofproperty. Near to 300 deathsoccurred and more than 50,000people were injured, Many parts ofSrinagar were flooded and vitalroads were submerged under thedeluge. Communication meansbroke down and power supply wasalso affected. Many families lived onboats for days together till the waterreceded but at the cost of losingeverything that belonged to them.Majority of the flood victimsbelonged to the bottom of thepyramid. Pulwama in Kashmir wasone of the most affected districts andHabitat India was able to address apart of the housing crisis, whereinin partnership with the Aditya BirlaGroup we constructed 22 houses.

Reconstruction of homes postdisaster is a part of Habitat India'sDisaster Response strategy, whichemanates from empowering disasteraffected communities and families,especially women and girl children,through dignified living. Since theSeptember 2014 floods in Jammuand Kashmir, Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity Indiarestores shelter and livelihoods ofpeople affected by disasters,conflicts and decreasesvulnerabilities throughorganizational capacity buildingand risk-reduction strategies.More than 181,000 lives havebeen rehabilitated under ourdisaster response program up tillMarch 2017. Habitat's DisasterRisk Reduction and Responseprogram has helped more than35,000 individuals to cope withdisasters across India.


India has till date built 102 housesin Kashmir region and another 20houses are under construction.

Disaster response and mitigationmust occupy a pivotal role in publicpolicy. It is imperative that we offerinnovative solutions to buildcommunity resilience andstrengthen self-recovery ofcommunities and localize mitigationprograms that incorporate culturallyappropriate solutions. Bettercommunication and transportationin making disaster prone areas moreaccessible will help. Preparedness indealing with disasters is in ouropinion very desirable, which isfacilitated by a strong local disasterresponse network, coordinationbetween organizations and capacitybuilding of local community basedorganizations. We also need torecognize and respond to diversityand create space and opportunity forcommunities, women and disabledpeople to participate in disaster

response processes that affect theirlives.

Today, Habitat India chooses to be acatalyst for change andtransformation by initiating acoalition in the sanitation spacecalled Sensitise to Sanitise (S2S)Coalition and the Housing for AllCoalition of India, launched morerecently. We hope to bring multiplestakeholders from banks, builders,beneficiaries and community, NGOsand the Government to worktogether to ensure desirable policychange, effective implementation,create access to finance, encourage

design and technology innovationand ultimately scale implementationto reach each and every family inneed. Our national strategy is alsoguided by an integrated approach todevelopment implementing multi-sector, multi-year and multi-donorprojects district by district in India.This way we are committed tomaking housing for all a reality evenin disaster affected areas in India andultimately ensuring sustaineddevelopment.

– Lara Shankar Chandra, Director,Strategic Management Unit, Habitat

for Humanity India, Mumbai

Photo courtesy: Ritwik Sawant, Director - Communications, HFH India.

"In our Kashmiri language, there is a phrase - 'If you have a roof overyou, then you can live your life peacefully.' The floods took awayeverything from me. My house, my job and we had to live in amakeshift shed. However it wasn't strong enough to face the snowfallduring harsh winters and the torrential rains in monsoons. My sonTariq started falling sick very often. The new home built by Habitat forHumanity India is a blessing for us."

– Habitat home owner Jana Begum, Pulwama district.


INVESTING IN DRR

Lessons from Jammu and KashmirEarthquake and Floods

The natural disasters like theEarthquake, 2008 and the

Floods, 2014, that occurred in Jammuand Kashmir (J & K) highlights thechallenges of disaster risk reductionand climate change adaptation in thehilly and mountainous terrain ofIndia. The few seconds of tremorsor few hours of unprecedentedrainfall followed by large-scaleinundation due to overflowingrivers enhances both human as wellas economic losses. WhileEarthquake is occasional, floods havebecome a recurring risk in the entirenorth-western Himalayan region.

The impact of the above-mentioneddisaster in the state of Jammu andKashmir highlighted why humanmortality is also much higher andimmediate response difficult due toweather conditions as well asdifficult terrain. Responding toearthquake or floods in the hillyterrain is different from respondingto disasters in the Indo-Gangeticplains as the skill and equipmentneeded are also different. Collapseof structures or rapidly rising/gushing waters do not provideenough time and space for peopleto evacuate. Earthquakes or Floodsin hilly areas are normallyaccompanied by landslides, whichseverely interrupt transportation andmobility. It is very difficult tomobilise local response immediately,as most of the first respondersincluding police, fire and healthpersonnel themselves are affected.The response, rehabilitation andrecovery agencies had to face delaysnot only to move the requisiteskilled manpower in a timely phasebut also in procuring the materialsto rebuild the life of the affected area.Both the requirements had to be

supplemented from outside the state,through stakeholders who had littleor no knowledge of the context andneeds of the population of the hillyterrain.

Lessons from these eventshighlighted the urgent need toimprove the early warning systemsurgently with a robust last milemonitoring system. Sinceearthquakes cannot be predicted,installing adequate seismograms tomonitor the plate movements wouldgo a long way in strengthening themitigation measures in landslideprone areas to prevent additionallosses. Further, regular monitoringrainfall, temperature, precipitationand water discharge of variousrivers/ river lets besides monitoringand analysis of cloud formation isrequired, that can be used for realtime flood forecasting.

Further, as in high altitude areas,wetlands act as a natural reservoirfor the runoff from mountains andprevent flooding. We need to ensurethat these wetlands are free ofencroachment and pollution, are

protected and conserved throughspecific legislation, regulatorymeasures and people's participation.

For immediate response toearthquake or floods district-levelresponders must be trained as theyare more effective, given theirimmediate presence on the groundand familiarity with the terrain. Soinvesting in first response capacityat the district level and below mustbe an immediate state priority.

In view of the recent climate trendsand recurrent disasters, it is alsoimportant to address the underlyingrisks of floods in the state. Thisrequires improvement of river flow,de-silt of flood channels, synchronisethe release of water from reservoirs,conserve wetlands and provideeffective early warning.

It is not possible to prevent naturalhazards like earthquake or floodsfrom occurring, but its human andeconomic losses can certainly bereduced by implementing well-identified measures.

– Abha Mishra, UNDP, India

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REGIONAL VIEW

Pattan in Kashmir Recovery

On October 8, 2005, anearthquake of 7.6 magnitude

devastated the Kashmir region. Itkilled 87,000 people, left 75,000people with severe injuries, anddamaged 0.6 million housesrendering 4 million people homeless.

Pattan was one of the first few earlyoutsider respondents. We reachedthere within 24 hours of the quakeand continued working with thesurvivors for five years. During thisperiod we established communitybased structures and built a strongbond with the partners, which stilllives on.

I have been working with disasterprone communities since 1992.During this long interaction with thesurvivors of different kinds ofdisasters, I learnt one importantlesson – besides looking atdevastation, it is essential to look athow survivors cope with theemergency. What are they doingtogether and how decisions aremade and implemented? Considerwhat we found the next day of the

quake in Balakot, was indeed a heartshattering and hugely unprecedentedexperience. Despite that we couldfind encouraging signs of resilienceand togetherness – the people werebusy removing debris to save thosewho were trapped underneath,digging graves for the burial of theirloved ones and saving what was left

behind for recycling. The conclusion– disaster hit people have alwaysbeen the first respondents to anemergency – an obvious fact. Lessonfor external actors – don't forget thisreality while planning yourresponse strategies. This short essaytells a tale how this simple lesson isoften ignored and how this weakenscommunity cohesion.

As the 10th anniversary of the quakewas nearing, I was anxious to knowabout the state of rehabilitation ofthe survivors. The best way to learnthis was to conduct a scientific study.We used both qualitative andquantitative methods i.e. focus groupdiscussions, transact walks andstructured interviews for thepurpose. The highlights of the studywere released on 10th anniversary ofthe quake in Islamabad followed bya protest demo. Moreover, BBCUrdu language service and PakistanTV channels also held talks about thestudy.

Hope remains a dream. Not a single house has been built.Photo by Pattan, August 26, 2015.

Sectarian and Political Biases weakened Community Cohesion


Some highlights of the study.Rehabilitation efforts often focus onphysical and psychological aspects,but ignore community cohesion.Shockingly more than 50%respondents of the study reportedthat in the aftermath of the quakeintra-family and intra-communitycooperation have declined. Most ofthe respondents were likely toblame the way cash compensationand other grants were allocated anddistributed. For instance, in case afamily had lost one married man,he might have left behind a widow,two brothers and parents. We cameacross numerous cases of conflictbetween brothers, between a brotherand sister-in-law (widow), betweenwidow and a father-in-law. Therewere tens of thousands of suchsituations. Similarly, there wasintense competition acrossneighbourhoods and communitiesover recovery of services andrehabilitation of infrastructures.

Our data shows that political andreligious groups played a negativerole in this regard. The followingtable shows how various agenciesprovided support on merit. Whenmerit is violated, it reinforcesexisting marginalization anddisparities, which resultantly affectscommunity cohesion.

Since, political parties heavily relyon local power structures (biradri/clan) and religio-political groups onsects, they dole out relief/rehabilitation on the basis of theseprimordial loyalties. Though thispractice help consolidate their votebank, it seriously underminescommunity cohesion. On the otherhand the respondents were highlylikely to appreciate secular agencies.Our study clearly establishes thesefacts.

More than two-third of respondentssaid their economic situation had

worsened since 2005, while only 34%households reported improvement.And, 65% of the respondents saidthey did not build their housesaccording to the official (quakeresistant) design due to lack (orlateness) of financial support fromthe government. More povertymeans heightened vulnerability notonly to natural hazards but also tothe power. Therefore, I would liketo civil society organisations andstate actors to consider that theirinterventions must not underminecommunity cohesion. There are notwo opinions that most communitieshave internal differences. Despitethis they live in harmony. Outsideagencies must not use the internaldifferences for their narrow interests.In the long run it will also damagethem too. – Sarwar Bari, National Coordinator,

Pattan Development Organisation,Islamabad, Pakistan

Ten years after the earthquake, a family in Balakot starts constructing the house, after receiving money from a familymember who works in the Middle East. Photo by Pattan, August 26, 2015.


WOMEN LEADERSHIP

Community Involvement and Leadership byWomen

The Kashmir Earthquake was amajor earthquake event on

October 8, 2005, with a magnitudeMw 7.6 struck the Himalayan regionof northern Pakistan and Kashmir.Since it caused wide spread andserious damage to the people andthe communities, we have a lot ofissues to discuss in its recoveryprocess from technical issue toresource mobilization. However,one of the most important aspectswhich we have to shed light on ishow they could ensure the localinitiative in the recovery process.

In the recovery process, unlike theemergency response process, it takesa long time to develop the recoveryplan, implement it and review theoutcome of it. If they really developan effective recovery plan, they needto have a sufficient information onthe target site with a long-termperspective. I do not think the goodrecovery of the affected communityis not a brand-new community withwell-organized houses. It is not thehouses which should be recovered.It is the lives, jobs and communitieswhich should be recovered andsustained.

The building code is very importantwhen they set up the new houses inthe affected area for building-back-better-than-before approach.However, they sometimes should bevery flexible in applying thebuilding code to the new houses. Ifyou try to observe the building codewith 100% accuracy, the recoveryoperations might be sometimesdelayed and become unaffordable tothe locals. It might be more practicalto apply the building materials fromthe rubbles of their own houses.

It takes time to meet with the localcitizens and reconcile their interestswith those of the donors andgovernment sectors. But in the longrun, it pays. This is one of theimportant lessons of HimalayanSettlement Recovery Process.

The other very important aspect inthe lessons of Himalayan SettlementRecovery Process is that theysuccessfully and actively used theleadership of the women in thecommunities. We have beendiscussing a lot that seniors, childrenand women are the most pronedemographic groups to disasters.The discussion is no doubt about it.But at the same time, women are themost powerful resource to make therecovery of the communitieseffective, sustainable and practicalsince, in most of cases, the womenstay in the communities and managethe various issues in thecommunities. The women also havevery good network in thecommunities, which is a practicaltool to facilitate the decision-making

process of the recovery planning forthe affected communities.

If those women in the affectedcommunities are appropriatelyinformed and educated, the recoverywould be very effective andsustainable and in the end theircommunities would be the ones withsufficient resilience to the nextextreme event.

There must have been other excellentlessons in the Himalayan SettlementRecovery Process. The two items Imentioned in this short article haveone common characteristic. Both ofthem are based on the confidence ofthe capacities which the localresidents of the disaster affected areapossess originally. It is thegovernments and the donors that arerequested to bring out thosepotentials of the local residents witheducation and information.

– Koji Suzuki, Executive Director,National Research Institute for Earth

Science and Disaster Resilience(NIED), Japan

Source: International Organization for Migration. Kashmir Earthquake 2005Learning from the Shelter Response and Rural Housing Recovery.


The State of Jammu & Kashmirhas been regarded as heaven on

earth, as it is bestowed with loftysnow mountains, fascinating valleys,sparkling streams, rushing riversand emerald forests. However, atthe same time, State also has a longhistory of disasters and has witnessedmany catastrophes in the past. TheKashmir (J&K) urban flood ofSeptember 2014 was unprecedented;the main reason was very heavyrainfall (300% to 600% more thannormal1) in bowl shaped valley, forwhich the State was quiteunprepared.

In the words2 of Shri OmarAbdullah, the then Chief Minister ofJ&K, "We had actually been toyingwith the idea of declaring large partsof State as drought affected and thenthe heavy rains started on 1st Sept2014. I can't remember another naturaldisaster where the Government was socompletely paralysed". The floodclaimed over 300 lives3 and furthercaused massive damage to the Govtand private infrastructure.

In these tough circumstances,National Disaster ManagementAuthority (NDMA) coordinatedwith the National Disaster ResponseForce (NDRF), Central Armed PoliceForces (CAPFs) and the State Govt.to deploy teams for rescue andrestoration purpose at strategiclocations, and also organized thevehicles (boats and trucks) and setup fuel chain management, followed byair force evacuation and Armycoordination.

The entire State was struggling withscarcity of drinking water, at thisjuncture NDMA deployed Vehicle

Mounted RO plants at variouslocations, by coordinating with otherStates and agencies. Further, theHeavy Duty Pumps were sourced fromONGC, GMR for dewatering thecities of J&K.

Apart from these short termimmediate relief measures, NDMAwas also involved in the mediumand long term recovery process. Itwas first time in the country that theallocated money was transferred todisaster victims through DirectBenefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism.The priority was given to thosefamilies who lost their pacca housescompletely (Rs 1 lakh/ house as perPMNRF4). Similarly the paymentswere made to the beneficiaries ofseverely damaged (Rs 50,000/-) andpartially damaged (Rs 25,000/-)categories. In this entirerehabilitation process, NDMAdirectly coordinated with State ReliefCommissioner's Office andconcerned District Collectors, forverification and distribution. Thisinitiative was well appreciated by allthe beneficiaries and concernedstakeholders.

The Health & Medical relatedsupport was also extended byNDMA in a phased manner. Initiallythe accommodation and logisticsupport was provided to the Doctors

and Psycho Social professionals.Concurrently, the process ofarranging critical care specializedmedical equipment's alsoinstitutionalized, and as per thespecific rehabilitation package5 1278equipment's (217 line items) wereprocured and installed, through thetechnical agencies like HLL Life care,etc. This timely initiative helped theflood disaster victims.

Apart from it NDMA also played avital role in the J&K Inter AgencyGroup (IAG) meetings, to mobilizeagencies and arranging requiredresources, in order to meet specificneeds of the flood affected victims.NDMA presence also gave a boostto the GO NGO Coordination, whichin turn helped in identification ofactual needs & gaps and alsoprevented the duplication of efforts.

In the entire response, restoration &recovery process, NDMA acted as abridge between Govt and the publicof J&K. Such hand holding was verymuch required, especially when theState machinery was not equippedto handle the gigantic flood. Therole of coordination and facilitationwas very challenging in the hostileterrain and adverse weatherconditions, which was well balancedduring the hour of need.

– Amit Tuteja, AIDMI Team

RECOVERY PERFORMANCE

Kashmir Flood Recovery: Achievements of NDMA

1 State Disaster Management Plan ofJ&K, May 2017

2 Blog of Shri Omar Abdullah,September 2014

3 J&K State DM Policy of J&K,October 2017

4 Prime Minister National Relief Fund5 PMNRF Rehabilitation Package Evacuation process, J&K flood, 2014.


HIGH ALTITUDE RECOVERY

DRR Road Map for Himalayas

Recurrent disasters includingflash floods, landslides,

earthquakes coupled with climaticextreme events including extremerainfall events, temperaturefluctuation and changes, have led tothe emergence of health issues andconcerns, that pose a significantthreat towards sustainabledevelopment in the Himalayanregion (North Indian states, NorthPakistan, and Nepal). Concreteactions for reducing disaster andclimate related risks needs to betaken up on priority basis in theregion for making sound andeffective DRR investments.

The recent disasters (floods andearthquakes) need to be seen as anopportunity to build back better soas to reduce over reliance on post-disaster relief mechanisms. A DRRroad map for the Himalayan regioncan provide strong support forreducing risk. This is required atboth levels – regional – Himalayan

countries, as well as northern statesof India. The following factors in theDRR road map can make theHimalayan region disaster resilient:1. Ability to make informed

choices and decisions aboutdevelopment actionsconsidering disaster and climaterisk;

2. Building systematic capacity onDRR CCA linkages with a focuson motivation, as a driver ofchange, with long term processcommitment in hilly areas;

3. Understanding the requirementof constant involvement withstakeholder engagement and atevery phase of disaster riskreduction.

4. It is not about theimplementation in a singleproject, but a strategicengagement across alldevelopment efforts in theHimalaya;

5. Importance of the local context,covering requirements, and

expectations from theinstitutions and sectors;

6. Provide constructive inputsbased on the so far progress andutilization of the agreedframeworks and planning suchas the Sendai framework;national and state disastermanagement plan; national andstate climate change action plan;and national mission forsustaining Himalayanecosystem.

The issue is highlighting the needfor cooperation among Himalayanstates as well as countries. Theproblems and interests are shared,thus the actions for solution needsto be shared too. DRR is not new inthe Himalayan region, neither forcommunities nor for institutions.However, there needs to be a greaterfocus on poor and vulnerablepopulations from the beginning.

– Vishal Pathak,AIDMI

'Cultural regions' of the Himalaya.

Source: http://archive.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/80a02e/80A02E05.htm


DISASTER RECOVERY

Long Term Disaster Recovery in Kashmir

The north Indian state of Jammuand Kashmir is one of most

beautiful and picturesque places inthe country. The verdant Kashmirvalley surrounded by the snowypeaks of the Himalayas lead theMughal emperor Jahangir to call thisplace as "paradise on earth".However, since 1947, this paradisehas been marred by violenceemanating from a long standingterritorial dispute between India andPakistan along with risinginsurgency of the last three decades.Moreover, the people of Kashmirare also exposed to various naturalhazards.

Most parts of the Kashmir valleywhere 50% of the state's populationresides falls under seismic zone V,

while the rest of the state includingLadakh and Jammu division fallsunder seismic zone IV. This hasmade the state of Jammu andKashmir especially vulnerable tohigh intensity earthquakes. Instancesof floods and flash floods are alsorising in the state. Landlsides,cloudbursts and avalanches are alsocommon hazards that often takeplace in the state. Given theenhanced vulnerability of the stateto various hazards, it is importantfor state and non-state actors thereto devise effective long termrecovery strategies.

The state has suffered through manydisasters that include the 2005earthquake, 2010 cloudburst and2014 floods. The devastating floods

of 2014 have been considered to bethe worst flood to hit the state inover 100 years. Affecting close to2500 villages, with a casualty figureof 280 and 550,000 affected, the floodsof 2014 were unprecedented in theirscale of devastation. As the Indianstate has provided massive financialresources to help the recoveryprocess in Kashmir, it is importantto make this recovery effective andsustainable.

Similarly, the World Bank hasapproved 250 million dollars (aboutRs 1600 crores) under the "Jhelumand Tawi Flood Recovery Project",for flood affected Infrastructure andstrengthening the capacity of the J&Kgovernment to manage naturaldisasters. The World Bank project,


according to the official description,"will restore and improve theconnectivity disrupted by damagedroads and bridges. The infrastructurewill be re-designed to withstandearthquake and floods as per thelatest official design guidelines.Another key component of thisproject will be to strengthen andreinforce existing weak andvulnerable flood controlinfrastructure. Investments willprimarily include rehabilitation/renovation of storm water pumpingstations in several areas."

All these measures are aligned toIndia's National DisasterManagement Plan which in turn isclosely aligned with the goals andtargets of the Sendai Framework forDisaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR).Both these frameworks stress on theneed to "Build back Better" which inprinciple means rebuilding all theassets lost in a disaster or emergencybetter to withstand similar exigentconditions in the future. Since,disasters are complex and have anadverse impact on a wide range ofsectors ranging from infrastructureto human health, and from

education outcomes to livelihoods,it is only fair for long term disasterrecovery measures to be as diverseand eclectic as well.

One of the most important long termrecovery measures that should beundertaken in Jammu and Kashmiris that of Community Based DisasterRisk Reduction (CBDRR). It is almostcommon knowledge that people andcommunities are the first respondersto a disaster. Therefore, if adequateresources are devoted to improvingthe skills and capacities of at riskcommunities to effectively facedisasters, then their response to themwould be far more measured andsystematic. There is a need forcomprehensive community-baseddisaster risk reduction plans need tobe prepared at the district level onpriority and communities giventraining on how to handle suchemergencies. Several Indian statesalready have such trainedcommunity response teams.

Another important long termrecovery measure in Jammu andKashmir should be school safety. In2005 earthquake, almost 19,000

children died in Pakistanadministered Kashmir region. Toavoid a similar tragedy on the Indianside, there needs to be concertedschool safety programme in Jammuand Kashmir. Such a programme canfocus on capacity building of schoolteachers and a handful of studentsto identify, understand and mitigateall the risks they face in theirschools. School risk assessments andschool disaster management plans(SDMPs) can become a big part ofsuch an initiative. Similar schoolsafety programmes have beensuccessfully conducted in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam withgreat success. Perhaps such a modelcan also be replicated in Jammu andKashmir.

Preparedness forms an essential partof long term recovery. Suchpreparedness measures can beinstitutionalized through districtdisaster management plans(DDMPs). However, it is importantthat DDMPs in Jammu and Kashmirare adequately contextualized. Beinga Himalyan state, the nature of riskexposure and vulnerability of J&Kis quite different from that of otherIndian state, this difference shouldbe factored in any preparednessapproached that form a part of theDDMPs of this state.

Most importantly, it is time to stopviewing disaster management as anisolated space but rather amultidisciplinary one. A space whereknowledge-driven solutions formthe back-bone of the long termrecovery and planning measures. Aspace where technocrats and localcommunities come together todevise and decide on such measureand strategies to pursue. Only afteradhering to such prescriptivemeasures, can long -term recoveryas well as disaster resilience be madesustained and enduring in this"paradise on earth".

– Kshitij Gupta, AIDMI


RECOVERY PERFORMANCE

Srinagar Flood Recovery — What WorkedAnd Why?

The unprecedented floods in J&Kin 2014 have been one of the

worst floods in last 100 years whichled to colossal damage ofinfrastructure, loss of lives andlivelihoods. 190 and 78 deaths werereported in Jammu and Kashmirdivisions respectively. 1.5 millionhouseholds spread over 5794 villageswere affected. More than 3,44,607structures suffered damages; 90,000cattle/sheep perished; and 0.65million Ha of land crop loss wasreported. The immense lossesreaffirmed the urgent need forcoordinated disaster preparednessand effective emergency responsefor a large scale disaster.

Early warning system was wellmanaged. The messages weredisseminated through radio,mosques and Imambaras. This helpedin speedy and timely evacuation ofcommunities. The Unified ResponseStrategy (URS) of Sphere India wasactivated following emergencycoordination meetings in New Delhi

and Srinagar. URS aims at facilitatingan organized and coordinatedresponse to disasters, by buildingcommon understanding amongstakeholders. Coordination betweenGO NGO and within NGOs was abig challenge during the first weekof response partly due totelecommunication failure andpartly because most of the INGOs(almost 30-40) were not aware of theState context. The first IAG Meetingwas facilitated by Sphere India on14th September, with representationfrom NDMA and participation of 20-25 INGOs to discuss a detailedcoordination action plan andassigning sectoral responsibilities,for rescue, relief and responseactivities and to plan for the JointRapid Need Assessment (JRNA). TheJoint Needs Assessment was carriedout with endorsement andparticipation of the Governmentofficers in the Assessment Teams.The JRNA Report findings wereshared with the State and DistrictDevelopment Commissioners for

necessary response. NeedsAssessment apart from capturing thebasic life saving needs and gaps(WASH, Food, Shelter) alsohighlighted the protection concernsof the most vulnerable putting upin the relief camps, includingwomen/adolescent girls, PWDs,pregnant, children elderly, etc.

The ensuing response saw theinvolvement of diverse stakeholderssuch as personnel of the NDRF,Army, Navy, State and DistrictAdministration, a range of local,national and international NGOs butmost importantly a significant andpredominant role of volunteers andcommunity based organizations,who were part of the early rescueand response.

Multi-stakeholder coordination wasmade possible and response wasprovided through establishing a GONGO Coordination mechanism atState and district level. Thedevelopment of common strategic

The second IAG Meeting which was organized in Srinagar on September 17, 2014 attended by 51 participants from 32INGOs, NGOs, and CBOs.


Editorial Advisors:

ALL INDIA DISASTER MITIGATION INSTITUTE411 Sakar Five, Behind Old Natraj Cinema, Near Mithakhali Railway Crossing, Ashram Road,Ahmedabad–380 009 India. Tele/Fax: +91-79-2658 2962E-mail: [email protected], Website: http://www.aidmi.org, www.southasiadisasters.net

Denis NkalaRegional Coordinator, South-South Cooperationand Country Support (Asia-Pacific), UnitedNations Development Programme, New York

Ian DavisVisiting Professor in Disaster Risk Management inCopenhagen, Lund, Kyoto and Oxford BrookesUniversities

Dr. John TwiggSenior Research Associate, Department of Civil,Environmental and Geomatic Engineering,University College London, London

Madhavi Malalgoda AriyabanduSub-Regional Coordinator, Central Asia & SouthCaucasus, United Nations Office for Disaster RiskReduction (UNISDR), Kazakhstan

Mihir R. BhattAll India Disaster Mitigation Institute, India

Dr. Satchit Balsari, MD, MPHThe University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell,New York, USA

T. Nanda KumarChairman, Institute of Rural Management Anand(IRMA), Anand, Gujarat, India

and operating guidelines for varioussectors like Shelter, WASH, Health,Protection, FNS and Psychosocialsupport, paved a good beginningand attempts were made to sustainthese strategies with activeparticipation and consultation oflocal actors and groups as per theirspecific local needs and concerns. GONGO Coordination Meetings at thedistrict HQ further strengthenedcoordination between districtadministration and NGOs andhelped in identification of needs andgaps and prevented duplication ofefforts. Contextualisation of theRelief Kits in accordance with theSphere Minimum Standards wasensured. Masjid/Mohalla committeesplayed a vital role in search, rescueand provision of relief. Youth alsoplayed a very positive and activerole in demonstrating volunteerism.

It was an excellent opportunity forNGOs to coordinate with each otherand come forward with acomprehensive and coordinatedrehabilitation programme for theaffected population and resulted incapacity building of local NGOrepresentatives on DRM issues.

After the early response phase,Sphere India led the collaborativeadvocacy initiative 1. to identify key

advocacy issues and joint strategiesfor recovery and rehabilitation, 2. tofacilitate the formation of an Inter-Agency Group (IAG) in Kashmirwhich can collectively take forwardthe effort, 3. to ensure quality andaccountability practices withadvocacy needs and 4. to documentthe unified humanitarian responseincluding best practices.Organizations including CaritasIndia, RedR, Handicap International,Save the Children, Care India, ActionAid, IGSSS, CEEO, DFY, JKWDC,Police, Civil Defence, Aman Trust,etc. actively shared their inputs incollective advocacy for rights incrisis.

Structural appraisals of some floodaffected houses revealed that badmasonry practices had led to collapseof the constructed structures and notthe use of mud bricks. The ShelterForum agreed and advocated for tennon-negotiable principles for midand long term shelter interventionsin J&K. Culturally suitable shelterdesigns were recommended andtechnically supported by INTACHfor reconstruction of houses.Similarly WASH Forum alsoconstituted basic principles forWASH interventions in responseefforts.

A large number of flood affectedcommunities lost their documentsduring the recent floods. Thesedocuments include importantcredentials such as ration cards,voter IDs, health cards, NREGA jobcards, LPG cards, ATM cards, bankpassbooks and academic mark-sheets. Efforts were made by manyNGOs to facilitate linkages of suchfamilies with the respectivedepartments. Information onpamphlets was made available onSDRF relief norms and governmententitlements, which led to widerawareness and filing of applicationsto avail different governmentschemes/ex-gratia relief under SDRF.

The Cabinet approved a specialfinancial package of Rs. 44,000 Crapproximately for rehabilitation ofthe people who suffered due tofloods and for restoration of thedamaged infrastructure. It alsodecided to approach the UnionHome Ministry for releasing fundsto the tune of Rs. 1947.20 Cr underNDRF besides requesting the UnionGovernment to declare tax holidayfor the J&K State for a period of 10years to help in the revival of theState's economy.

– Dr. Henna Hejazi,Program Manager, J&K Flood

Response, Sphere India, New Delhi

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